Woodridge Community Hub: support from the heart

Published: 12 November 2014

Woodridge State High School's unique Community and Multicultural Youth Hub is giving vulnerable graduating Year 12 students hope and job opportunities beyond high school.

The Hub links students and their families to community services, government organisations and education and training providers to make the transition from school less daunting. It ensures the school leavers don't feel they have been forgotten once they leave the classroom.

Participating students are offered one-on-one employment consultation sessions. Support ranges from resume and job interview advice through to linking students to services like Access Community Services' driving school, to equip them with skills to help them enter the workforce. This year, more than 100 people, including 60 graduating students, will access the Hub.

Project Manager Josephine Aufai said the Hub also provides employment consultant services to family members, former students and community members, as well as group training sessions (through registered training organisations) in areas including aged care, retail, business administration, small business and training and assessment.

"Our vision is to see an engaged, educated and empowered community, and we achieve this by building up the skills and confidence of our students through collectively working with the community," Josephine said.

"The strength of our Hub is the relationships we have with our key government, education, training and community support services. Those connections help us give people the opportunity to reach their full potential - and then they, in turn, can give back to society."

One of the Hub's most inspiring success stories is a graduate and mother of four who completed a Mentoring Training Course through the Hub, followed by a Certificate 3 in Youth Work, and is now studying a Bachelor of Human Services at Griffith University. She now also volunteers her time to support students and community members.

"Other Hub activities to strengthen our families and community include fitness and training programs, English language classes, Cultural Connections – sharing of stories, and a recent community engagement conference that equipped 120 Education Queensland and non-government delegates with tools to successfully engage our community," Josephine said.

The Woodridge State High School Community and Multicultural Youth Hub is an initiative of the Better Futures Local Solutions program funded by the Department of Human Services. Key partners include the Federal Government, BoysTown and Centre for Multicultural Youth.

The Woodridge Community and Youth Hub is an initiative of the Logan: City of Choice Two-Year Action Plan 2013-2015.